Stave



Oct. 30, 1934. G, UL 1,978,811

STAVE Filed July 12, 1933 l atenteci Oct. 30, 1934 UNITED STATES ?ATENT OFFICE In Germany 3 Claims.

The invention relates to a process for the manufacture of staves or bottoms for casks and vats etc. from two or more layers of sawn, cut or rotary cut woods. The manufac- 5 ture of casks with staves in veneer has been previously proposed. Moulding into spherically bent bodies was hereby possible only within certain limits because, under the application of the pressures, the wood must inevitably shrink transversely to the grain, but not in the direction of the grain. On the other hand, the pressing together of the staves when manufacturing the casks, requires a certain elasticity transversely to the longitudinal axis of the staves.

According to the invention, the layers of wood are joined together in the customary way, whereby the direction of the graining runs in parallel varying to acute angle. It is recommended that the workpiece shall be given the selected form when joining up the layers of wood, or that the forming of the staves or bottoms shall be carried out immediately after the operation of joining up the layers. It will also be advantageous to prepare the edges during, or directly after, the bending of the staves or bottoms, either by cutting or punching or in some other suitable manner.

With the object of effectually preventing the liquid contents penetrating through the inmost layer of wood, radial cut wood or heart-wood can be employed, at any rate on the inner side of the stave or bottom. In the case of casks with solid staves, it has been customary to use special classes of wood, with the object of acquiring, or retaining, a certain flavour, smell, appearance or other quality. It is, therefore recommended that, at the least, the inner layer of the stave or bottom shall be composed of the most suitable class of wood, that is, radial cut 40 oak for beer, wine or spirit casks, and radial cut chestnut wood for red wine casks.

The invention has the advantage that the staves and bottoms and consequently, the fin- June 29, 1933 ished casks, will be lighter than casks with solid oak staves, chestnut staves or staves in other woods, with the result that freighting charges on full and empty casks will be reduced. The actual staves will also be appreciably cheaper than the earlier types of cask staves which were chiefly split by hand-labour, whereby the logs could only be worked at a serious loss in wood.

A practical example of the invention is shown in the drawing. The stave which is shown in perspective, consists of five layers of wood aP-e, the graining running substantially in the longitudinal direction of the stave. The layers a, c and e consist of oak, the layers b and d of elm or beech. In the case of red wine casks, the inmost layer would be made in chestnut wood. The outside layer need only be composed of a high-grade wood, in as far as it is desired to improve the appearance of the finished cask. j represents the grooves to hold the bottoms.

I claim:

1. A laminate barrel stave comprising a plurality of superimposed joined together layers of wood of which the innermost layer is composed of radial cut wood having its medullary rays extending longitudinally of the stave parallel to the inner surface thereof.

2. A laminate barrel stave comprising a plurality of superimposed joined together layers of wood of which one of the layers is composed of radially cut wood having its medullary rays extending longitudinally of the stave parallel to the inner surface thereof, with any given ray at the inner surface thereof exposed throughout the length of the stave.

3. A laminate barrel stave comprising a plurality of superimposed joined together layers of wood of which the innermost layer has its medullary rays extending parallel to the inner surface thereof, with any given ray at the inner surface thereof exposed throughout the length of the stave.

GEORG MULLER. 

